Riding the Shinkansen

My friends in Kyoto tell me it takes them a good 9 hours to drive to Tokyo from where they live. We traveled the same distance in about a third that time on a Japanese bullet train, or Shinkansen, last week. These trains really haul! Check out the video posted above that I took from a window on the Shinkansen we took over the weekend. See how fast those houses fly by? It’s insane!

Inside, accommodations are very comfortable. This is the standard car. The “Green” cars have even larger seats with more legroom (for a price of course). A beverage and snack service rolls through each car on a regular basis.

Train stations in the big city can get really crowded and busy in Japan. This particular day was extremely light. Well stocked food and beverage stores are located on the train platforms. Japan is all about convenience!

6 Responses

Hmmm, didn’t you see Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen window?
(I guess the side you were seated has no view of it.)
I love seeing Mt. Fuji when I fly to Tokyo or go there by Shinkansen:)) It’s really beautiful and fun to look at.
BTW your photos express the length of the train very well! Nice pic:)) さすがジョナサン！！

Oh! You just reminded me! I forgot to post the only image I got of Mt. Fuji during my last Shinkansen ride. I was sleeping, and suddenly I heard some children yell out “ふじさん！ふじさん！”

I quickly woke up, grabbed my camera, and took a shot, only you’re right, I wasn’t on the correct side of the train, so I had to shoot over some people through a window. Only seconds later, we had passed the mountain. I’ll have to show you the image later! =D

wow you got some really nice images on this trip. You can see the increase in experience from the last trip. Those where great but there is growth. Great images Jon! You did an even better job of taking me to Japan :D

Jon,
Stopped by cause I was doing some research on Tokina lenses. For some reason, I thought you had the 12-24. I’m fluctuating b/w the 11-16 and 12-24 (also wondering if the DX II was worth the extra $100). Reading your post I might opt for the 11-16 (sometime late this year).
Well, it’s really nice to see all the images here that I don’t see on flickr – you have such range, keep it up man!!
Jay

What’s up Jay! Thanks for stopping by. I think you’d be thrilled with 11-16. I too was considering the 12-24, but that extra mm on the wide end does make a difference, and the general performance of the 11-16 is unbelievable. You may have a gap between in the 16-24mm range with your 24-70, but I don’t think you’ll miss it. Let me know what you decide!